Graduate Studios

The renovated Visual Arts Research Studios (VARS) is a 25,000-square-foot facility that includes 53 studios for students, faculty and visiting artists. It also includes a new seminar room, a new project gallery space dedicated to graduate exhibitions, wood and metal fabrication studios, six AV studios, a paint booth and the Book Art and Letterpress Lab. VARS also has two neutral restrooms and a new lactation space.

VARS, 1231 N. Fremont Ave., fosters a vibrant, interdisciplinary community of artists, with students, faculty and visiting artists and scholars interacting as they explore ideas, obtain knowledge and share techniques.

Artist Studios

Private studio space is provided to students for the express purpose of producing art objects and scholarly work. These facilities offer 24-hour access, wireless internet, and individual cabinets to lock and store materials.

Fabrication Studios

Large project studio spaces for wood and metal fabrication are available to students from all disciplines.

3D & Extended Media

Digital Print Facility

A 44″ Epson printer is available for output of graduate student work.

Visual Arts Research Studios Project Space

The new gallery space for graduate students — located in the southeast corner of the Visual Arts Research Studios (VARS) — opened March 17, 2025, with a group exhibition titled “Influx.”

Only MFA, PhD, and MA graduate students within the School of Art may request to use the space. All proposed projects (both public and private) must be graduate-led and include more than 50% graduate student work. Exhibitions which contain less than 50% graduate work are encouraged to pursue exhibitions in Rombach Gallery.

Galleries